AirTran ending Savannah service

Discount carrier AirTran Airways will stop service to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport on Oct. 27 as it seeks to control costs and focus on its most profitable routes.

The change will not affect AirTran's service at Charleston International Airport, according to airline spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver.

But the local airport could pick up some business from displaced AirTran customers who otherwise would have flown to or from Savannah/Hilton Head, said Helen Hill, executive director of the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"I think there's no doubt that we will get more traffic," Hill said.

Since AirTran launched in Charleston in May 2007, the airport has seen 20 percent more passengers come through its gates, and fares on some routes have dropped steeply.

But Hill added, "We're sad because any flight we lose in the state — and this is the Savannah/Hilton Head airport — is a bad thing."

AirTran's Savannah/Hilton Head service proved less successful in a trying time for the airline industry, according to Graham-Weaver.

"The route has underperformed in profitability, and in today's environment of record-high fuel costs we are closely scrutinizing every market and route," she said in an e-mail.

AirTran officials earlier this year said the airline would trim its flight schedule between Charleston and Atlanta because of fuel prices. The airline cut its fourth flight during the holiday season. This year it will offer one fewer flight starting Sept. 4.

AirTran posted a net loss of $13.5 million in its most recent quarter, compared to a $42.1 million profit for the same period last year. Fuel accounted for 83 percent more of its operating expenses when compared with last year's second quarter.

But when AirTran's shareholders convened in Charleston for their annual meeting just three months ago, the airline's chief executive, Robert Fornaro, stressed a commitment to the area.

Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594 or abird@postandcourier.com.